O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful. Abdu l-bahá [4]

Transcription

1 Bahá í Prayers and Tablets for Children A Compilation Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Graciously grant that this infant be fed from the breast of Thy tender mercy and loving providence and be nourished with the fruit of Thy celestial trees. Suffer him not to be committed to the care of anyone save Thee, inasmuch as Thou, Thyself, through the potency of Thy sovereign will and power, didst create and call him into being. There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Lauded art Thou, O my Best Beloved! Waft over him the sweet savours of Thy transcendent bounty and the fragrances of Thy holy bestowals. Enable him then to seek shelter beneath the shadow of Thy most exalted Name, O Thou Who holdest in Thy grasp the kingdom of names and attributes. Verily Thou art potent to do what Thou willest, and Thou art indeed the Mighty, the Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Gracious, the Generous, the Merciful. Bahá u lláh [1] O Lord, my God! This is a child that hath sprung from the loins of one of Thy servants to whom Thou hast granted a distinguished station in the Tablets of Thine irrevocable decree and in the Books of Thy behest. I beseech Thee by Thy name, whereby everyone is enabled to attain the object of his desire, to grant that this child may become a mature soul amongst Thy servants; cause him to shine forth through the power of Thy name, enable him to utter Thy praise, to set his face towards Thee and to draw nigh unto Thee. Verily it is Thou Who hast, from everlasting, been powerful to do as Thou willest and Who wilt, to eternity, remain potent to do as Thou pleasest. There is none other God but Thee, the Exalted, the August, the Subduer, the Mighty, the All-Compelling. Bahá u lláh [2] Thou art He, O my God, through Whose names the sick are healed and the ailing are restored, and the thirsty are given drink, and the sore-vexed are tranquillized, and the wayward are guided, and the abased are exalted, and the poor are enriched, and the ignorant are enlightened, and the gloomy are illumined, and the sorrowful are cheered, and the chilled are warmed, and the downtrodden are raised up. Through Thy name, O my God, all created things were stirred up, and the heavens were spread, and the earth was established, and the clouds were raised and made to rain upon the earth. This, verily, is a token of Thy grace unto all Thy creatures. I implore Thee, therefore, by Thy name through which Thou didst manifest Thy Godhead, and didst exalt Thy Cause above all creation, and by each of Thy most excellent titles and most august attributes, and by all the virtues wherewith Thy transcendent and most exalted Being is extolled, to send down this night from the clouds of Thy mercy the rains of Thy healing upon this suckling, whom Thou hast related unto Thine all-glorious Self in the kingdom of Thy creation. Clothe him, then, O my God, by Thy grace, with the robe of well-being and health, and guard him, O my Beloved, from every affliction and disorder, and from whatever is obnoxious unto Thee. Thy might, verily, is equal to all things. Thou, in truth, art the Most Powerful, the Self-Subsisting. Send down, moreover, upon him, O my God, the good of this world and of the next, and the good of the former and latter generations. Thy might and Thy wisdom are, verily, equal unto this. Bahá u lláh [3] O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful. Abdu l-bahá [4]

2 O Thou peerless Lord! Let this suckling babe be nursed from the breast of Thy loving-kindness, guard it within the cradle of Thy safety and protection and grant that it be reared in the arms of Thy tender affection. Abdu l-bahá [5] O God! Rear this little babe in the bosom of Thy love, and give it milk from the breast of Thy Providence. Cultivate this fresh plant in the rose-garden of Thy love and aid it to grow through the showers of Thy bounty. Make it a child of the Kingdom and lead it to Thy heavenly realm. Thou art powerful and kind, and Thou art the Bestower, the Generous, the Lord of surpassing bounty. Abdu l-bahá [6] O Lord! I am a child; enable me to grow beneath the shadow of Thy loving-kindness. I am a tender plant; cause me to be nurtured through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy bounty. I am a sapling of the garden of love; make me into a fruitful tree. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful, and Thou art the All-Loving, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing. Abdu l-bahá [7] O my Lord! O my Lord! I am a child of tender years. Nourish me from the breast of Thy mercy, train me in the bosom of Thy love, educate me in the school of Thy guidance and develop me under the shadow of Thy bounty. Deliver me from darkness, make me a make me a flower of the rose-garden; suffer me to become a servant of Thy threshold and confer upon me the disposition and nature of the righteous; make me a cause of bounty to the human world and crown my head with the diadem of eternal life. Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Seer, the Hearer. Abdu l-bahá [8] O Thou pure God! I am a little child; grant that the breast of Thy loving-kindness be the breast that I cherish; suffer me to be nourished with the honey and the milk of Thy love; rear me in the bosom of Thy knowledge, and bestow upon me nobility and wisdom while I am still a child. O Thou the Self-Sufficing God! Make me a confidant of the Kingdom of the Unseen. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful Abdu l-bahá [9] O Lord! Plant this tender seedling in the garden of Thy manifold bounties, water it from the fountains of Thy loving-kindness and grant that it may grow into a goodly plant through the outpourings of Thy favour and grace. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful. Abdu l-bahá [10] O my merciful Lord! This is a hyacinth which hath grown in the garden of Thy good pleasure and a twig which hath appeared in the orchard of true knowledge. Cause it, O Lord of bounty, to be refreshed continually and at all times through Thy vitalizing breezes, and make it verdant, fresh and flourishing through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy favours, O Thou kind Lord! Verily Thou art the All-Glorious. Abdu l-bahá [11] O Peerless Lord! Be Thou a shelter for this poor child and a kind and forgiving Master unto this erring and unhappy soul. O Lord! Though we are but worthless plants, yet we belong to Thy garden of roses. Though saplings without leaves and blossoms, yet we are a part of Thine orchard. Nurture this plant then through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy tender mercy and quicken and refresh this sapling through

3 the reviving breath of Thy spiritual springtime. Suffer him to become heedful, discerning and noble and grant that he may attain eternal life and abide in Thy Kingdom for evermore. Abdu l-bahá [12] Praise and glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! This is a choice sapling which Thou hast planted in the meads of Thy love and hast nurtured with the fingers of Thy Lordship. Thou hast watered it from the well-spring of everlasting life which streameth forth from the gardens of Thy oneness and Thou hast caused the clouds of Thy tender mercy to shower Thy favours upon it. It hath now grown and developed beneath the shelter of Thy blessings which are manifest from the Dayspring of Thy divine essence. It hath burst forth into leaves and blossoms, is laden with fruit through the providence of Thy wondrous gifts and bounties and is stirred by the fragrant breeze wafting from the direction of Thy loving-kindness. O Lord! Cause this sapling to become verdant, fresh and flourishing by the outpourings of Thy special bounty and favour, wherewith Thou hast endued the tabernacles of holiness in Thy eternal Kingdom and hast adorned the essences of unity in the arena of reunion. O Lord! Assist him through Thy strengthening grace which proceedeth from Thine invisible Kingdom, aid him with such hosts as are hidden from the eyes of Thy servants and grant that he may have a sure footing in Thy presence. Unloose his tongue to make mention of Thee and gladden his heart to celebrate Thy praise. Illumine his face in Thy Kingdom, prosper him in the realm above and graciously confirm him to serve Thy Cause. Thou art the All-Powerful, the All-Glorious, the Omnipotent. Abdu l-bahá [13] O Lord! Make this youth radiant and confer Thy bounty upon this poor creature. Bestow upon him knowledge, grant him added strength at the break of every morn and guard him within the shelter of Thy protection so that he may be freed from error, may devote himself to the service of Thy Cause, may guide the wayward, lead the hapless, free the captives and awaken the heedless, that all may be blessed with Thy remembrance and praise. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful. Abdu l-bahá [14] O Lord! Make these children excellent plants. Let them grow and develop in the Garden of Thy Covenant, and bestow freshness and beauty through the outpourings of the clouds of the Abhá Kingdom. O Thou kind Lord! I am a little child, exalt me by admitting me to the Kingdom. I am earthly, make me heavenly; I am of the world below, let me belong to the Realm above; gloomy, suffer me to become radiant; material, make me spiritual, and grant that I may manifest Thine infinite bounties. Thou art the Powerful, the All-Loving. Abdu l-bahá [15] O Thou kind Lord! These lovely children are the handiwork of the fingers of Thy might and the wondrous signs of Thy greatness. O God! Protect these children, graciously assist them to be educated and enable them to render service to the world of humanity. O God! These children are pearls, cause them to be nurtured within the shell of Thy loving-kindness. Thou art the Bountiful, the All-Loving. Abdu l-bahá [16] O Lord! Guard Thou the children that are born in Thy day, are nurtured at the breast of Thy love, and fostered in the bosom of Thy grace. O Lord, they are verily young branches growing in the gardens of Thy knowledge, they are boughs budding in Thy groves of grace. Grant them a share of Thy generous gifts, make them to thrive and flourish in the rain that raineth from the clouds of Thy bestowal. Thou art verily the Generous, the Clement, the Compassionate! Abdu l-bahá [17]

4 O God! Educate these children. These children are the plants of Thine orchard, the flowers of Thy meadow, the roses of Thy garden. Let Thy rain fall upon them; let the Sun of Reality shine upon them with Thy love. Let Thy breeze refresh them in order that they may be trained, grow and develop, and appear in the utmost beauty. Thou art the Giver. Thou art the Compassionate. Abdu l-bahá [18] O Thou pure God! Let these saplings which have sprouted by the stream of Thy guidance become fresh and verdant through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy tender mercy; cause them to be stirred by the gentle winds wafting from the meads of Thy oneness and suffer them to be revived through the rays of the Sun of Reality, that they may continually grow and flourish, and burst into blossoms and fruit. O Lord God! Bestow upon each one understanding; give them power and strength and cause them to mirror forth Thy divine aid and confirmation, so that they may become highly distinguished among the people. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful. Abdu l-bahá [19] O my God! O my God! Thou seest these children who are the twigs of the tree of life, the birds of the meads of salvation, the pearls of the ocean of Thy grace, the roses of the garden of Thy guidance. O God, our Lord! We sing Thy praise, bear witness to Thy sanctity and implore fervently the heaven of Thy mercy to make us lights of guidance, stars shining above the horizons of eternal glory amongst mankind, and to teach us a knowledge which proceedeth from Thee. Yá Bahá u l-abhá! Abdu l-bahá [20] O Thou kind Lord! Grant that these trees may become the adornment of the Abhá Paradise. Cause them to grow through Thy celestial bounty. Make them fresh and verdant and besprinkle them with heavenly dewdrops. Attire them with robes of radiant beauty and crown their heads with gorgeous blossoms. Adorn them with goodly fruit and waft over them Thy sweet savours. Thou art the Bestower, the All-Loving, the Most Radiant, the Most Resplendent. Abdu l-bahá [21] O Thou kind Lord! Graciously bestow a pair of heavenly wings unto each of these fledglings and give them spiritual power that they may wing their flight through this limitless space and may soar to the heights of the Abhá Kingdom. O Lord! Strengthen these fragile seedlings that each one may become a fruitful tree, verdant and flourishing. Render these souls victorious through the potency of Thy celestial hosts, that they may be able to crush the forces of error and ignorance and to unfurl the standard of fellowship and guidance amidst the people; that they may, even as the reviving breaths of the spring, refresh and quicken the trees of human souls and like unto vernal showers make the meads of that region green and fertile. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful, Thou art the Bestower and the All-Loving. Abdu l-bahá [22] O Thou compassionate Lord! O Lord of Hosts! Praise be unto Thee that Thou hast preferred these young children over the full grown and the matured, hast endowed them with Thy special bounty, hast guided them, hast bestowed upon them Thy Light and hast given them spirituality. Confirm us so that when we attain maturity we may be enabled to serve Thy Kingdom, may train the souls, may become ignited candles and may shine like unto stars. Thou art the Giver, the Bestower and the Kind. Abdu l-bahá [23] O God, my God!

5 We are children who have sucked the milk of divine knowledge from the breast of Thy love and have been admitted into Thy Kingdom while of tender age. We implore Thee in the daytime and in the night season saying: O Lord! Make firm our steps in Thy Faith, guard us within the stronghold of Thy protection, nourish us from Thy heavenly table, enable us to become signs of divine guidance and lamps aglow with upright conduct and aid us through the potency of the angels of Thy kingdom, O Thou Who art the Lord of glory and majesty! Verily Thou art the Bestower, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Abdu l-bahá [24] O Thou kind Lord! We are poor children, needy and insignificant, yet we are plants which have sprouted by Thy heavenly stream and saplings bursting into bloom in Thy divine springtime. Make us fresh and verdant by the outpourings of the clouds of Thy mercy; help us to grow and develop through the rays of the sun of Thy goodly gifts and cause us to be refreshed by the quickening breeze wafting from the meadows of Truth. Grant that we may become flourishing trees laden with fruit in the orchard of knowledge, brilliant stars shining above the horizon of eternal happiness and radiant lamps shedding light upon the assemblage of mankind. O Lord! Should Thy tender care be vouchsafed unto us, each one of us would, even as an eagle, soar to the pinnacle of knowledge, but were we left to ourselves we would be consumed away and would fall into loss and frustration. Whatever we are, from Thee do we proceed and before Thy threshold do we seek refuge. Thou art the Bestower, the Bountiful, the All-Loving. Abdu l-bahá [25] O Thou most glorious Lord! Make this little maidservant of Thine blessed and happy; cause her to be cherished at the threshold of Thy oneness and let her drink deep from the cup of Thy love so that she may be filled with rapture and ecstasy and diffuse sweet-scented fragrance. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful, and Thou art the All- Knowing, the All-Seeing. Abdu l-bahá [26] O Lord! Help this daughter of the Kingdom to be exalted in both worlds; cause her to turn away from this mortal world of dust and from those who have set their hearts thereon and enable her to have communion and close association with the world of immortality. Give her heavenly power and strengthen her through the breaths of the Holy Spirit that she may arise to serve Thee. Thou art the Mighty One. Abdu l-bahá [27] O Thou kind lord! Bestow heavenly confirmation upon this daughter of the Kingdom and graciously aid her that she may remain firm and steadfast in Thy Cause and that she may, even as a nightingale of the rose-garden of mysteries, warble melodies in the Abhá Kingdom in most wondrous tones, thereby bringing happiness to everyone. Make her exalted among the daughters of the Kingdom and enable her to attain life eternal. Thou art the Bestower, the All-Loving. Abdu l-bahá [28] O thou little handmaid of God! I earnestly hope that thou wilt be nurtured in the bosom of the love of God and wilt grow and develop through the vitalizing breeze which wafteth from the meads of the Kingdom of heaven, that thou mayest become a flourishing tree beside the stream of divine knowledge, laden with fruit and blossoms and appear in the utmost freshness and tender beauty through the sprinkling of the clouds of His bounty. Be

6 assured that the eye of His loving-kindness is directed towards thee and the glance of His mercifulness resteth upon thee. Abdu l-bahá [29] O beloved child! Praise be to God that thou hast entered the divine Kingdom while of tender age and that thou hast received a share of the manifold bounties of the Lord of Hosts. I supplicate the Almighty that thou mayest be reared in the bosom of the love of God and attain maturity with utmost love and ecstasy. May the glory of the Most Glorious rest upon thee! Abdu l-bahá [30] O thou verdant plant of the Abhá Paradise! O thou tender sapling of the rose-garden of immortality! Although thou art but a tiny creature in this world of existence, yet it is my earnest hope that thou wilt become great in the Kingdom of heaven. Although a mere child, yet praise be to God that through the strengthening power of faith and certitude thou art indeed as a grown-up and mature soul. Know thou of a certainty that those of tender age in the Abhá Garden shall inherit the realm of the Kingdom and that the outpourings of celestial grace encompass the children in the school of the love of God. It is my hope that through the manifold bounties of Him Who is the Lord of Oneness thou mayest be reared and nurtured beside this heavenly stream which floweth in the rose-garden of divine guidance. Upon thee be the glory of the Most Glorious. Abdu l-bahá [31] O thou tender plant in the garden of the love of God! The heavenly gifts of the Ancient Beauty make every plant verdant and fresh, and through the radiance of His everlasting Kingdom every darkness turneth into veritable light. Therefore thou, who art a sapling in the orchard of divine bounty and a smiling blossom of His rose-garden, shouldst become so verdant and flourishing through the outpourings of His grace as to make us all delighted at thy tender beauty. Abdu l-bahá [32] O thou hyacinth which hast sprung up beside the heavenly stream! Let thyself be reared in the cradle of the loving providence of God and suck the milk of divine knowledge from the breast of His bounty. Be thou nurtured in the meadows of the grace of God and become verdant and fresh in the garden of true knowledge, that thou mayest grow as a peerless plant in the orchard of divine unity, as a flower in the garden of His tender mercy and be a bright candle shedding light upon the gathering of the friends, a radiant lamp aglow at the reunions of the beloved ones of God. O Lord! Graciously assist this child to grow and be quickened in the meads of Thy tender affection. Thou art verily the Bestower, the Merciful, the Compassionate. May the glory of God rest upon thee. Abdu l-bahá [33] O thou sapling which hast grown in the garden of the love of God! Unloose thy tongue in thanksgiving to the Kingdom of glory for having received the light of divine guidance while still a child and for being singled out, through His supreme bounty, as a choice plant in the Abhá Paradise. It is my hope that thou wilt become a child of the Kingdom, wilt study arts, sciences and divine knowledge, mayest turn into a fruitful and flourishing tree in the Vineyard of God and that, through the sprinkling of the clouds of His loving providence, thou mayest appear in the utmost freshness and tender beauty. And upon thee be salutation and praise. Abdu l-bahá [34] O ye two tender plants in the Abhá Paradise!

7 Render thanks unto God that ye have sprouted in this heavenly garden. God willing ye will become firmly rooted, will develop and grow through the outpourings of the heavenly clouds and will attain perfection and bring forth fruit through the radiance of the Sun of Reality. Avail ye yourselves of the opportunity of these days and appreciate the value of this glorious century. Strive ye earnestly to become fruitful trees, brilliant lamps and as two stars shining above the horizons of East and West. And upon ye be the glory of the Most Glorious. Abdu l-bahá [35] O ye candles which have been lighted by the fingers of the Blessed Perfection! Praise be to God that ye are illumined by the light of knowledge and are earnestly striving to acquire noble virtues. At the threshold of the Abhá Beauty ye are regarded with favour and in the school of education ye are suckling babes at the breast of arts and sciences. I beseech God that ye may be so highly distinguished in sciences that your fame will be noised throughout all regions and your fair name be on the lips of all enlightened people; that ye may become the means of the exaltation of the Cause of God and the exponents of the manifold blessings of the Abhá Beauty. May the glory of the Most Glorious rest upon you! Abdu l-bahá [36] O ye tender seedlings in the garden of the love of God! O ye fresh saplings in the meadows of the knowledge of God! The sight of the flowering plants in a springtime garden is delightful. The new-grown herbs shed abroad their pungent fragrances, each blossom charms the eye with its particular beauty, while the leaves and fruit are speedily burgeoning. And when people find their way into the garden and gaze on the beauty of the flowers, they inhale the perfume, their souls are exhilarated and their hearts are solaced. Therefore, O ye who are blossoms of heavenly twigs and the fruit on the tree of fellowship, grow rapidly in this rare springtime and, with radiant faces, turn your hearts to the court of the All-Hearing Lord, saying: O Thou Lord of wondrous grace! Bestow upon us new blessings. Give to us the freshness of the spring. We are saplings which have been planted by the fingers of Thy bounty and have been formed out of the water and clay of Thy tender affection. We thirst for the living waters of Thy favours and are dependent upon the outpourings of the clouds of Thy generosity. Abandon not to itself this grove wherein our hopes aspire, nor withhold therefrom the showers of Thy loving-kindness. Grant that from the clouds of Thy mercy may fall copious rain so that the trees of our lives may bring forth fruit and we may attain the most cherished desire of our hearts. May the glory of God rest upon the people of Bahá! Abdu l-bahá [37] O loved ones of Abdu l-bahá! Man s life has its springtime and is endowed with marvellous glory. The period of youth is characterized by strength and vigour and stands out as the choicest time in human life. Therefore you should strive day and night so that endowed with heavenly strength, inspired with brilliant motives and aided by His celestial power and heavenly grace and confirmation, you may become the ornaments of the world of humanity, and pre-eminent among those who are initiated into true learning and the love of God. You must be distinguished amidst men by your sanctity and detachment, loftiness of purpose, magnanimity, determination, noble-mindedness, tenacity, the elevation of your aims and your spiritual qualities; that you may become the means of exaltation and glory for the Cause of God and the dawningplaces of His heavenly bestowals; that you may conduct yourselves in conformity with the counsels and exhortations of the Blessed Beauty may my life be offered up for His loved ones and by reflecting Bahá í qualities and attributes, you may stand out distinguished from others. Abdu l-bahá eagerly anticipates that each one of you may become even as a fearless lion moving in the pastures of human perfection and a musk-laden breeze wafting over the meads of virtue.

8 The glory of glories rest upon you. Abdu l-bahá [38] This document has been downloaded from the Bahá í Reference Library. You are free to use its content subject to the terms of use found at